While I smiled at Dirk, the Kidd and Terry hoisting up there trophy, the whole thing seemed a rather anti-climactic ending to a season that first seemed it would end with a cataclysmic finals series and then ended with Mark Cuban’s slurring words and drunk, again. Sure, there were probably fireworks over Cleveland and hopefully this will mean an end to the barrage of South Beach wives photos hitting the web daily, but something seemed to be missing.

Speaking to fellow basketball fans this morning, it seemed many of us were left a little dissatisfied. Maybe it was the lack of either of the top two seeds, the San Antonio Spurs and The Chicago Bulls in the finals. Or maybe it was seeing the early exit of the league’s most talked about rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics. Or maybe it was seeing the Heat’s championship quest flame flicker and die after a year of press speculation, The Decision and the “Can Lebron James Really Close The Big Game?” debate.

To be sure, there were some great surprises down the stretch (hello Game Three Jason Terry and Jermaine O’Neal) and some controversial moments as well (potty mouthed Kobe Bryan and Joakim Noah, we’re looking at you) but while there was much to talk about, it seems this NBA season didn’t leave many fans with the same thrill the game used to. As an avid fan of the game, I can honestly say one of the things I will miss the most was seeing C-Webb, Chuck, EJ and Kenny hash it out after the final buzzer sounded. There’s something unsettling about that for me, because as much as I love the banter, I, like any other fan, want to see athletes being athletes sans the “taking my talents to” debates. More than anything, I just want to see good players play ball.

Now, as talks of a lockout rise higher on the Sports Center story rankings, it is very possible that basketball fans could find themselves watching negotiations before anyone suits up again. If we thought last summer was a long one, it’s quite possible this one may have us waiting even longer.

In the meantime, though, there’s this:

What’s your take on the end of the 2010-2011 NBA Season? Was this year in basketball a let down or high point for fans of the game? Tell us what you think weigh in Clutchettes and Gents!

I’ve been watching college ball for almost a decade, but never really followed NBA extensively until this year, and I was not let down! From pre-season to post-season, there was always something to talk about– The Decision, Blake Griffin making the Clippers relevant, K-Love’s double-double streak, the Cavs’ losing streak, the Bulls having the best season since Jordan, Melo-drama, Crygate, etc. I heard that the ratings for the ASW events and the playoffs were the highest they’d been in several years, so I think a lot of people enjoyed following all of the storylines from this season. Seeing as the “bad guys” didn’t win, I think most people are not disappointed with the way the season ended, even if they aren’t Mavs fans.

I think that since DAL is generally controversy-free there definitely is an absence of “buzz,” (is it just me or are there more articles about MIA losing than DAL winning?) but generally, I think people are just breathing a sigh of relief that MIA didn’t accomplish a championship so soon after The Decision and subsequent hoopla.